Spring-clip and yoke.



J. F. HOLUOMBE.

SPRING CLIP AND YOKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1913.

1,091,513, Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

fig. 22 A? 2/ 35 go WWW COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM co.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

IINITE arnn'r SPRING-CLIP AND YOKE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMIE Fox H01,- COMBE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spring Clips and Yokes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combination spring clip and yoke for leaf springs such as are now in common use on automobiles and other vehicles; and it is the foremost object of my invention to provide a simple and effective means which will at once held the spring tightly upon the base plate and which will hold the individual leaves of the spring securely together.

My invention preferably comprises the combination of two U-shaped members, one of which is inverted over the leaves of the spring, another of which is upright around the spring, the inverted member being se cured at its lower ends to the base plate upon which the spring is mounted, and the upright member being secured at its upper end to the horizontal portion of the inverted member. In such a combination, I prefer also to secure the lower ends of the inverted member to the lower horizontal portion of the upright member. The result is a practically continuous hand drawn tightly around the leaves of the spring and attached to the base plate. If either of the members becomes damaged or broken, the other will hold in place and hold the spring from such action as would tend to separate its leaves and break them.

I have illustrated my present preferred form of construction in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my invention applied to an automobile spring of ordinary design. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated by line 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings the numeral 10 may designate an axle upon which the base plate 11 is mounted, this being the base plate as now ordinarily constructed. The leaves 12 of the usual spring are held together by the usual bolt 13. In the matter of the construction here explained, I have simply shown typical details, as it is one of the features of my invention that it is applicable to many varieties of spring constructions. Preferably I employ two pairs of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 21, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Serial No. 775,010.

duplicate members 20 each of a general U shaped configuration, having horizontal portions 21 and vertical legs 22. At each end of the base plate 11 one of these members 20 is inverted and placed over the leaves of the spring, the ends of the legs 22 of these members being screw-threaded, as at 23, and'nuts 24 being employed to hold the U-shaped member 20 down on the base plate. These inverted members 20 securely tie the leaves of the spring to the base plate 11; but, as in the ordinary construction, should the members 20 break, the leaves would then be free not only of the base plate but also free among themselves, and any upward rebound of the vehicle would tend to carry only the uppermost leaf upwardly and would probably break the leaf or break the bolt 13. I provide against such an action by placing the upright U-shaped members directly along side the inverted member, and securing the up per ends of the legs 22 of the upright member directly to the horizontal portions of the upright member through the medium of bosses 25, nuts 24 being used to draw the members together and thus to clamp the leaves of the spring tightly between both members 20.

As hereinbefore mentioned, I preferably construct members 20 as duplicates of each other; so the upright members 20 also have lugs or bosses 25 through which the screwthreaded ends 23 of the inverted members 20 are adapted to pass. Thus, the inverted members 20 are not only secured to the base plate 11 but are also secured to the horizontal portion 21 of the upright member 20, through the medium of the lugs 25 on the upright members. Thus, there is formed a practically continuous band or yoke about the leaves of the spring, of which yoke the horizontal portions 21 of the members form the upper and lower parts, and the vertical legs 22 of both members the vertical parts;

The connections of the legs of the inverted members to the lower horizontal portion of the upright members also serves the purpose of preventing the upright members, which are arranged outermost, from working away from the inverted members at the under side of the spring. WVere it not for this connection constant oscillation of the spring would tend to work the lower parts of the upright member outwardly away from the inverted members and would tend to cause the fracture of the lugs 25 through which the legs of the upright members are attached to the inverted members. The connection of the lower horizontal parts of the upright members to the legs of the inverted members also serves another purpose, as follows: It will be noted that the parts 21 of the upright members abut, or approximately abut, the ends of the base plate 11, and any endwise motion of the spring leaves is thus checked, as the U-shaped members are so tightly clamped about the leaves that they must partake of any longitudinal movement of the leaves.

Should the legs of the inverted members break, it will be seen that there will still be a strong yoke around the leaves of the spring holding them together and thus preventing breakage of the uppermost leaves.

I thus, overcome the objectionable feature of the ordinary spring clip; for when the ordinary spring clip breaks, it allows the leaves of the spring to be loosened and detached from each other, except for the light bolt 13 which is easily broken, thus placing upon the uppermostleaves all of the strain of rebound.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, 1 claim:

1. In combination with a base plate and a leaf spring mounted thereon, an inverted U-shaped clip extending over the spring and secured below to the base plate at its ends, and an upright U-shaped clip extending under the spring and secured at its upper ends to the upper part of the first mentioned clip.

2. In combination with a leaf spring, a duplicate pair of U-shaped members one inverted and placed over the spring and the other upright and placed under the spring, the ends of each U-shaped member being secured to the other member.

3. In combination with a leaf spring, (111- plicate U-shaped members each composed of a U-shaped body having apertured bosses projecting from its sides near the bottom and having its ends screw-threaded, one of said members being inverted over the spring, the other upright under the spring, the screw-threaded ends of each member passing through the apertured bosses of the other, and nuts on the screw-threaded ends to draw the members toward each other and tightly around the spring.

at. In combination with a base plate and leaf spring mounted thereon, a duplicate pair of U-shaped members each composed of a U-shaped body having apertured bosses projecting from its sides near the bottom of the U and having its ends screw-threaded, one of said members being inverted over the spring and its ends passing through the base plate, the other of said members being upright over the spring, the screw threaded ends of each member passing through the apertured bosses of the other, and nuts on the screw-threaded ends to draw the members toward each other and tightly around the spring.

5. In combination with a leaf spring and a plate therefor, a duplicate pair of U- shaped members one inverted and placed over the spring and the other upright and placed under the spring, the end of one of said U-shaped members secured to said plate and the ends of one of said U-shaped members secured to the other U-shaped member,

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of June 1913.

J. F. HOLCOMBE. Witnesses Enwoon- H. BARKnLnw, DRUE L. HOFFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

